Tim Horton’s gift cards going to Canadian troops for holiday

By Bill Mann

Tim Horton’s gift cards are flying off the shelves this season — and over to Afghanistan, to thank Canadian military personnel there.

The ubiquitous restaurant chain (ubiquitous in Canada, anyway) has an outlet at the main Canadian Forces base in Kandahar, and some 5,000 gift cards are headed their way this holiday season, part of a program called Share a Cup With a Brave Canuck. The program, started by a Toronto EMS commander three years ago, encourages Canadians to send a $10 Tim Horton’s gift card and a message to Canadian troops.

Canada and its military personnel in that far-off, war-torn country have gotten scant thanks from their American allies the past decade. I doubt if most of my fellow Americans even know about Canada’s sizeable contribution — and its losses — in that ongoing war. Many nights, when a Canadian is killed in Afghanistan, it’s at or near the top of Canada’s national TV newscasts.

At least Canadian Forces personnel are getting appreciation from their fellow Canadians.

Some 23,000 Horton’s gift cards have been sent, and there’s always a spike at Christmas.

“People associate Christmas with being away and being alone,” says the program’s founder, Ric Rangel-Bron.

One fourth-grade girl in St. Catherines, Ontario, raised enough money to send 230 gift cards this year. Instead of collecting Hallowe’en candy a few weeks ago, she collected money for the gift cards.

Rangel-Bron and his EMS colleagues — EMS personnel coordinate the card collection throughout Canada — read the messages sent to Canadians serving overseas.

Kids write to the troops

Some are quite moving, reports the Toronto Star. Like this one:

“I am 5. You are my hero. Thank you.”

Some are funny, like this one from a 11-year-old boy:

“Do you use AK-47′s or RPG’s?”

Rangel-Bron says the cards are real morale boosters, and that givers who include their address sometimes get messages in return. One soldier thanked Rangel-Bron for the card and told him he bought Tim’s Ice Caps — iced cappuccinos — for his buddies.

“The best part was how he kept the card with the message inside his vest. And he kept that with him for his whole tour. The card is a nice gift, but a message from a Canadian saying ‘Thank you for being there, I appreciate your service,’ that’s what was important.”